Tampa Bay 3, Washington 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 1, 2011
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Referees:
Chris Lee, Tim Peel
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Brad Kovachik
Attendance:
18398
By SportsDirect Inc.
Captain Vincent Lecavalier scored his second goal of the night at 6:19 of overtime as the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning extended their road winning streak in the playoffs to five games Sunday with a 3-2 triumph over the top-seeded Washington Capitals in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Martin St. Louis recorded a goal and an assist, Teddy Purcell set up two tallies and Dwayne Roloson made 35 saves for the Lightning, who will look to take a 3-0 series lead when they host Game 3 on Tuesday.
In the lineup for the injured Pavel Kubina, fellow defenseman Randy Jones made an alert pass from the right corner of his own zone to Purcell at the Capitals' blue line. Purcell carried the puck into the offensive zone and made a backhand pass to Lecavalier, who lifted it over Michal Neuvirth from alone in front for the game-winner.
Brooks Laich notched a goal and an assist, captain Alex Ovechkin also scored and Neuvirth stopped 20 shots for Washington, which went 0-for-6 on the power play.
With Kubina and Simon Gagne out of the lineup with head injuries, Tampa Bay struck first by converting a power-play chance late in the opening period. Lecavalier drilled a one-timer just inside the right post with 59 seconds remaining for his 21st career playoff goal and third this postseason.
Roloson made stellar saves on Ovechkin and Mike Knuble early in the second before the Capitals scored the equalizer with 5:08 left in the session. Roloson stopped Nicklas Backstrom's shot from the slot, but the rebound was knocked in by Laich from the doorstep.
The Lightning took a 2-1 lead in the third as Purcell gathered a loose puck behind the net and dished it to St. Louis, who attempted a pass to a wide-open Lecavalier at the right side of the crease. But the puck caromed off Capitals defenseman Mike Green's skate and in at 7:35.
Facing a 2-0 series deficit with the next two games on the road, Washington forged a tie with 67 seconds to play in regulation. Jason Arnott made a slick pass from the right side of the net to Ovechkin, who chipped the puck over Roloson for his fourth of the playoffs.
Top Game Performances
| Tampa Bay |
|
Washington |
|
Vincent Lecavalier 2 |
Points |
Brooks Laich 2 |
|
Vincent Lecavalier 2 |
Goals |
Brooks Laich 1 |
|
Teddy Purcell 2 |
Assists |
Brooks Laich 1 |
|
Vincent Lecavalier 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Dwayne Roloson .946 |
Save Percentage |
Michal Neuvirth .870 |
|
Dwayne Roloson 35 |
Saves |
Michal Neuvirth 20 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Tampa Bay
|
23 |
3 |
1-5 |
6-6 |
12 |
30 |
| Washington
|
37 |
2 |
0-6 |
4-5 |
10 |
29 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Capitals have a W/L % of .646 after a win and .515 after a loss.
-
Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Washington. The Lightning have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .556 after a loss.
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